Family metaphors structure modern political worldviews, with conservatives embracing a strict father model

Evidence

Cognitive linguist George Lakoff has proposed that competing metaphors of the family constitute a key divide in modern society. Morality is imagined through metaphor, and family metaphors reside at the core of contemporary political worldviews; whereas liberals favor a nurturing parent model, conservatives embrace a strict father metaphor. At the center of Dobson’s worldview—and that of many conservative evangelicals—was the strict enforcement of patriarchal authority. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 199

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces Lakoff’s strict-father vs. nurturing-parent framing, a useful conceptual tool for analyzing Du Mez’s own argument about patriarchal authority.
• XREF: Lakoff’s ‘strict father’ / ‘nurturant parent’ framing from Moral Politics — a theoretical apparatus that could assess Du Mez’s method.